We've got a lot to cover on the first day of Saints' training camp, so keep checking back here throughout the afternoon for updates and insights. We've also got a video blog on the way.

The biggest news nugget of the day is that receiver Marques Colston missed his first practice Thursday morning, though both he and Coach Sean Payton described it as a precautionary measure. Colston had his knee drained Wednesday after experiencing some swelling. He's expected to participate in individual drills this afternoon.

Colston had arthroscopic surgery in February, but he was back and healthy throughout the summer training activities. This shouldn't be a big issue.

In other injury-related news:

- Tailback Deuce McAllister, who is recovering from surgeries on both of his knees, looked "awesome" during his first practice according to quarterback Drew Brees, who joked that Deuce is lighter than he's been since his senior year of college. McAllister, who weighed in at a slender 227 pounds when he reported to camp, participated fully in the morning practice session but will probably take it easy this afternoon.

- New tight end Jeremy Shockey was also on the practice field, but he was a bit more limited than McAllister as he recovers from leg and ankle injuries. He mostly ran with the third-string offense, so there were no real highlight moments for him in his first practice. But it was nice to see him and Brees getting to know each other as they walked from the practice field to the locker room. That could be quite a potent combination.

- Linebacker Jonathan Vilma (knee) looked great as he went full-speed on Thursday morning. He ran with the second team behind starter Mark Simoneau because Vilma is still playing catch-up after being limited this summer. But that will change sooner than later.

There weren't many surprises on the Saints' depth chart. Jason David and Randall Gay ran with the first-string defense at cornerback, with Jason Craft and Usama Young on the second team and Aaron Glenn on the third team. That position will get even more crowded when McKenzie returns in a few days and when rookie Tracy Porter finally signs his contract.

For now, David is still ahead of Gay on the depth chart, based mostly on seniority. But I can see any one of four or five guys winning starting jobs with this team. None of the candidates really stood out, good or bad, on the first day of practice. I'm going to try and play close attention to Young during these early practices to see how far he's come in his second year in the league. I think he's the biggest wild-card of the bunch.

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The other most compelling battle on this team is at receiver, where seventh-round draft pick Adrian Arrington continued to make things interesting on Thursday. Early in seven-on-seven drills, Arrington beat cornerback Greg Fassitt deep down the left sideline and laid out for a diving 45-yard catch from quarterback Tyler Palko. It was easily the play of the day.

Later, Arrington caught another deep strike from Palko down the middle of the field after safety Chris Reis just missed a chance at an interception. By Arrington's count, he dropped one pass during the morning session after he slipped.

"It felt great," Arrington said. "You want as many opportunities as you can to make plays. The most important thing for me is to show the coaches what I can bring to this team."

Arrington was being harassed during the interview by veteran teammates Craft and Gay. Craft said he needs to make at least three or four more catches before he deserves to be interviewed, and Gay gave a more serious warning that he better not get a big head.

But in brief glimpses throughout the summer practice sessions, Arrington has continually impressed as a big target with good downfield speed and consistent hands. He'll have to pass up a few veterans over the course of this next month if he wants to make the final roster, but he's certainly capable of doing it.

None of the receivers ahead of Arrington on the depth chart had a bad day. Second-year pro Robert Meachem had at least one impressive grab on an out route from Brees, and he said he feels healthy and confident as he tries to put last year's struggles behind him.

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Shockey made his long-awaited debut in front of the media today, discussing his trade for the first time.

He made it clear that he was happy to get a fresh start with the Saints after pushing for a trade out of New York, though he still had some nice things to say about his former team, complimenting the Giants on the run they made to the Super Bowl championship last year.

"If I would have gone back to the Giants, it would have been a circus," said Shockey, who thinks the deal was a win-win. "New York got a good package. Hopefully New Orleans is going to get a really good package."

Shockey admitted that he is a passionate person who wears his emotions on his sleeve, but he insisted that he cares about winning, first and foremost.

"I'm starting from Ground Zero and working my way up like I'm trying to make this team," said the four-time Pro Bowler.

He wasn't especially animated during his press conference, but he did challenge reporters a couple of times when he was asked about his reputation for being a distraction to his team, asking where they got their information.

Shockey suggested that those types of stories can often be blown out of proportion.

"They build you up, and they break you down," he said of the New York media.

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Defensive tackle Hollis Thomas appeared to have a rough start today. About two hours into practice, he took a knee, and the trainers came to cool him off. He sat out the final 20 minutes or so. I didn't get a chance to talk to him after practice.

I don't think it's necessarily a bad sign. The heat was no joke this morning, and he's a big dude who's always struggled in these kind of conditions. He actually made weight for the first time in his three years with the Saints, and he's always survived these early struggles to come back strong in the regular season.

Thomas lined up with the second string behind Kendrick Clancy today. Those two battled back and forth for the starting job throughout last year's training camp. They might both lose out to first-round draft pick Sedrick Ellis, though, if he ever arrives in camp.

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Of the Saints' remaining contract holdouts, Porter looks a lot closer to getting signed than Ellis. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see Porter here by Friday from what I'm hearing.

But nobody seems optimistic that Ellis will arrive any time soon, with the early first-round signings moving at a snail's pace.
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Another guy who stood out to me today was second-year offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod. He lined up at left tackle with the second-string offense, while Zach Strief was at right tackle. Bushrod definitely has the size and athleticism to play left tackle, and the Saints have been excited about his potential since they drafted him out of Towson in the fourth round last year. He was particularly impressive during one head-to-head matchup against defensive end Will Smith in pass-rushing drills.

Rookie DeMario Pressley had an impressive spin move in that same drill that caught my attention. He was lined up against third-string offensive lineman Isaiah Ross, but his speed and athleticism were evident.

Another highlight from Thursday morning came when Vilma tore through the offensive line to get to tailback Pierre Thomas in the backfield. Because the Saints aren't tackling yet in practice, he just tapped Thomas on the pads.

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If you haven't checked out our chat from earlier this afternoon, take a look. I went into more detail on some of these observations and hit on several more topics.

Check back this evening for a brief report following the P.M. practice.